The Road To Joy
by heartxheat
Summary: A recollection of how a young woman's life is simply mended by the kind deed of a stranger, and how love can be found in the most awkward of situations. YukixOC
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Furuba characters, nor it's plot line. The unedited (and almost complete) version of this story can be found on my Quizilla account. I recommend reading this version, though.**

**Enjoy.**

**--**

**The Prologue**

When I passed by, people stared. It was like everyone was afraid of me for some foreign reason, and I was left without a reason why. I had always believed it was my appearance but, for an average teenage girl, I looked pretty normal when you stood me next to others: wavy lavender hair, deep amethyst eyes, slender but fit.

To others who knew my family before the tragedy, I was the perfect reflection of my mother. Not a single drop of my father's genes seemed to make it into my making; that was, until I learned how to speak and started grade school.

My mother wanted to be a photographer, but found herself trapped on the other side of the lens as a model. In her spare time away from work, she used to loved to take pictures of me and hang them up at work.

Mom worked for a near-by modeling agency. The agency provided us with a house, took care of our medical bills and issues, and allowed us to enjoy the perfect lives of the upper-class Tokyo citizens. But that was all before the accident.

Everyday, mother would tell me that I would be the perfect model. But I didn't want to model as a child. I always found flaws in those statements, searching everyday to discover the miniscule traits that set me apart from the radiant creature I was born to. I could never be just like my mother, because my mother was the epitome of beauty.

Instead, I stuck to the tomboy side of life, enjoying the surf and tides at the beach and working up on my Ganguro tan. My father forbade this, though. He even made sure to hide away my mom's beauty products from my reach, so I couldn't bleach my hair and paint my eyelids white like my friends.

But later I decided that I really didn't know what I wanted to do with my life. My family would always laugh and tell me that I would come to my senses as I got older; the subject of being a model would always be brought up again and again.

I still smile at the memories of dressing in my mother's clothes and parading around the hallways of our extravagant home as if it was catwalk. Mom and Obaa-san would clap and bring up how much I looked just like my mother when she was younger.

Our time together was cut short. A drunk driver swirved into the wrong lane of traffic, but she wasn't instantly killed. He collided with the only car on the other side of hte road, and ran them off of the cliff to their deaths.

They found her in a pile of ash, purple eyes unfocused and hazed as she weezed our of a gaping hole in her side. The police had taken the liberty of asking me if I recognized the body from the picture they had.

Even after Mother's death, Obaa-san would come in at night after I was tucked in, and say, "You're just like her, you know. Just like Hikari Tsuda... so gorgeous."

She was the only family I have left at the time, but she was very sick. Obaa-san had been battlingthe horrid effects of cancer for the past six years since mother's death. Everyone knew her life was coming to an end, but I didn't want to believe it.

As a child, I didn't have many friends. Those who I did have the liberty of meeting in high school were Tohru Honda and the gang that so graciously supported her. Honda-chan was, and still is, one of the sweetest human beings alive.

Of course, I didn't know much about her when we first met. All I did know what that the ruffian Arisa followed her like a lost puppy. She once belonged to a gang, but soon dropped out due to Tohru-chan's mother.

My personal favorite of the trio was Hanajima, or the self-proclaimed Hana-chan, who could read other's waves. Her brother, I admit, was rather leacherous for a young boy when we first met in high school...

During high school, I grew further away from people, isolating myself from the croud. I took a job and bought an apartment for my Obaa-san and I, because the agency would no longer support our family. Obaa-san was too sick to take care of herself, and I couldn't afford to keep her at a nursing home. Besides, I was not going to abandon my Obaa-san when she was the only ounce of family I had left in the world.

That year, I was trying my best to stay in school and get good grades. Hana-chan, Ou-chan, and Tohru-chan are even helping me a lot on homework and house keeping.

Tohru Honda also introduced me to another important group of people: the infamous Sohma family.

To most of the city population, the Sohma family was regarded as strange or exceedingly famous for their many professions. They had managed to keep their family inside their compounds walls for thousands of years, maintaining life on the inside of the walls.

The true reason to why they never left, no one knew. And neither did I until I had the life-changing opportunity to meet them for myself, thanks to Tohru Honda.

There I officially met Yuki Sohma, better known as "The Prince" during highschool, and Kyou Sohma that day. We attended the same school, but I never had the urge or drive to attempt talking to them. They were far too good-looking for me.

I always found it odd how they fought with eachother; and instead of using harsh words, they insulted eachother by throwing out names such as "stupid cat" and "dumb rat". It was actually quite entertaining watching the two of them fight, and they still do.

Even though I never associated myself with Yuki before meeting him officially, he was always sweet and kind and preferred to stay quiet. I often found him daydreaming during lectures, before I got to know him. Kyou-kun was the exact opposite, and his hair was a rather odd color orange...

When I first met the Sohma's, I was sixteen and a Sophomore at Kaibara High School. I was known as Sora-chan to few and Tsuda-san to most. I also had the liberty of being in Student Council which allowed me to skip a majority of my classes. Obaa-san often said that I needed to go to my classes so I could succeed in life.

Little did I know, her words would come in much use in what was, due time.

And that is where my story begins...

--

**I fized up the whole first chapter of this story. You couldn't really call it a chapter, since it was mainly an intro to Sora's life. If you didn't catch it, the main character's name in this story is Sora Tsuda.**

**I hope you enjoy this series, because it is personally one of my favorites on Quizilla. Please review with your insight!**

**-Amanda**


	2. Stranger

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Furuba characters, nor it's plot line. The unedited (and almost complete) version of this story can be found on my Quizilla account. I recommend reading this version, though. Oh yeah, I do not own Bright Eye's song "Road To Joy" or any of it's lyrics.**

**Enjoy the first official chapter.**

**Ice Angel 5- Ah, I seem to always write in either first or third person POV. It just depends what type of story I'm writing. This series will be strictly in first POV, since it's somewhat of a bio/autobio-graphy story. Thanks for the review, though, and good luck reading!**

**Sakura Dagger 15- Thank you! Keep in mind that what was written first, was being told around a few years after the end of this series. It's being told by Sora who's totally grown up now; I'm trying to make it sound like an autobiography. Hope I'm doing a good job!**

**--**

**Stranger**

The sun was just beginning to set, illuminating the path ahead of me in a beautiful shade of autumn orange. Leaves fell before me onto the pavement of the trail, dodging my steps as they floated in the gentle October breeze.

People passed by just as silent, birds filling the empty abyss with their chirps while they fled to the comforts of their nests. My tan messengers bag whacked my left thigh and I gathered speed down the pathway; the sun was setting quickly ahead of me as the cold air embraced my bare legs.

"Cursed skirts..." I muttered, pausing a moment to smooth out the ruffled bunch of fabric. I was never fond of the Kaibara High dress code. It was just my luck that the staff would be out of long skirts by the time my Obaa-san made the transfer from my old private school official.

"Sora-chan!"

My heart leaped inside my ribs, pounding mercilessly against the bone. The sight of Tohru Honda speeding towards me with a small bundle in her thin arms made the adrenaline drain back from my veins, and my throat let a relieved sigh escape my lungs.

Her long brown hair fell in her face and she regained her breath, "I wanted to know if you have anything to do tonight. Hana-chan and Ou-chan are sleeping over, and we were wondering if you'd like to come along?"

"I'm not sure." My eyes fixed on her chocolate brown irises, curious as to why she'd confront me this late in the evening. I had only just met the hyperactive, kind girl a few days ago. She had been following me around for almost the whole time since we first talked, "I have nothing planned for quite a while."

Tohru giggled and held a gloved hand to her chest nervously, "I know it's late notice, but Hana-chan suggested it. She said she's love to see you again, and told me that she enjoys the 'waves' you give off."

"It's okay Tohru-chan, I know what you mean." Even Tohru seemed confused at what she just said, and I cocked an eyebrow in her direction. I let my purple gaze fall back onto the path ahead of me, "But I don't want to be a burden."

I should have known Tohru wouldn't let me leave at that; she was too kind of a person. She wouldn't let me say 'no' and be left out, because she just cared to much. It was her own personal flaw. It was what made her different from everyone else; why everyone couldn't help but love her so much.

"Don't worry, Sora-chan!" Tohru's arm linked with mine and I froze up, "You won't be a burden, but a blessing! Let's get home before nightfall."

"Uh..." I couldn't move. All I could think about was my Obaa-san at home alone, "Tohru, I don't know..."

"Please Sora? It will be really fun!" Tohru begged, tugging on my olive jacket sleeve, "Plus, you'll get to meet some of my other friends!"

The butterflies in my stomach began to churn. Didn't she live with the Sohma family? I didn't want to be envolved with a large crowd of people. What was left of my self-image and charisma was lost long ago when my mother died, and I had to make a living for me and my grandmother.

Silence crept upon us while she waited for my approval on what to do. Her brown eyes told the world that she already knew what my answer would be.

"I suppose it will be fun to spend the night with you, Tohru-chan," I smiled weakly. The girl basically suffocated me in her warm embrace, and I let myself relax and hug her back. The last person to hug me was Obaa-san.

"Yay!" Tohru squealed happily, taking my gloved hand in hers, "This will be so much fun, Sora-chan! I can't wait!"

The teenager was bouncing on the heels of her mary-janes, swinging my hand too-and-fro frantically; I thought my shoulder was on the verge of to popping out of it's socket. Tohru was very strong when she was on her "merry-rush", as I called them. The girl had a sort of hidden strength, it seemed, that she wasn't aware of.

My mind went blank for a moment once a chill went down my back; I wasn't good with crowds, and this girl, of whom I officially met with a few days ago, was taking me to "her house" for a sleepover. Wasn't she living with the...

"So, um... who did you say you lived with again?" I asked, wrenching my hand from her tight grasp and shoving my hands deep into my jacket pockets. The blood rushed back to my fingers, and my stone fingers warmed up almost instantly. Hidden strength, psh.

"The Sohma family." She continued almost immediately with a eerily quite voice, "They are kind and... a realy treat to see everday." Tohru played with the fabric of her bundle, "You probably met Sohma-kun already, and Kyou-kun. They're in our class."

"Kyou Sohma?" I chuckled and I felt a small blush spread across my cheeks; I always had a special place in my heart for bad-boys, "The spaz that jumoed out the second floor window on the first day of school. How could I not miss him?"

Tohru's laugh echoed through the calm autumn air and rattled the leaves of the trees, "Yeah, that was Kyou-kun." A delayed sigh followed, and she nervously began to pick at a loose thread on her jacket.

I'm a genius at figuring emotions out when it comes to observing human behavior. I attempted to avoid crying and depressed individuals. Emotions made me very nervous and on-edge. "You okay, Tohru?"

"Oh?" Tohru's brown eyes regained their teal sheen, "Yes, I'm fine. It's just... you always seem so sad, Sora-chan?"

"Really?" I paused. I didn't think my shield was that weak... Or maybe Tohru was a genius at emotions like I was. Damn it. "What makes you think I'm sad, Tohru?"

"I can tell. You haven't smiled for so long... Is something wrong?" Tohru seemed embarrassed. A thick blush line ran over her cheeks as if she was trying to keep me from asking her the personal question lurking in my skull. I didn't have the nerves to ask her. A long-forgotten smile made it's way across her lips; she knew I wouldn't ask any time soon, "Ever since I remember, you've always had a bright smile!"

"10" points to Tohru: A score of "0" for Sora. When it came to reliving the past through explanation, I was a weepy baby. The scars never fade, no matter how small they are.

"You know about my mom and the rest of my family." Yes, she was that persistent, "Obaa-san is getting sick, so sick that I'm terrified. She's the only family I have left. I'm nervous about leaving her home alone."

Regardless about the amount of detail I managed to leave out of my sob-story, I still felt the tears clutter the rim of my purple eyes. They tumbled in a single-line down the side of my face into my hair. I grimaced. Emotions were not my favorite thing to show to the public.

Tohru let out a gasp, regreting her question like I knew she would. It's not like it wasn't an obvious "don't ask me" question. Sometimes the girl didn't take a moment to think before asking. I still loved her, though, for the short amount of time I knew her.

"Sora-chan... I'm so sorry!" Tohru hung her head, beating herself up inside. I felt horrible for making her feel that way; I cause her to cry, because I was a baby when it came to talking about my past.

I'm a cold person.

The beautiful autumn scenery grew gloomy. The colorful trees seemed to lose their color, and I became frightened as the feeling of loneliness came over me. The talk with Tohru made me realize that I was very-much alone in the world.

A branch snapped behind us, and I reared back, giving the stalker a roundhouse kick to the jaw as Tohru scampered behind me. Yeah, I tend to spaz out half as much as the poor boy who thought it'd be hilarious to sneak-attack Tohru and I.

"God damnit!" Out of the bush appeared a red-headed boy with a bruised cheek, and a matching ego.

"Aw crap, it's Kyou!" I shrieked, wiping the dried tear-streaks from my face. I pulled Tohru infront of me as a shield; weakling when it comes to rather good-looking young men and emotions. I would have to see this boy all night, and I brutally assaulted him.

The red-head glared at us both; I noticed this after I peaked mysteriously over Tohru's shoulder. His shoulders were shaking with anger, and I felt and heard the saliva slide down my throat when I swallowed.

"Get. In. The. Damn. House."

He wouldn't even look us in the eyes, he was so furious. It was his fault for sneaking up on us; but I did feel bad for killing his "manly" ego and rubbing it in the dirt with my amazing kung-fu skills. I was tought by a master, my father.

"No problem!" I chidded quickly, looping my arm with Tohru's and jogging up the steps of the house before Kyou could say another word. Tohru followed along, glancing back at Kyou. God, this girl had no idea how bad that murderous look was drilling into my skull from behind.

I waited at the door for Tohru to welcome me in. It would be rude to intrude a stranger's house; the place that my new-found friend was temporarily sharing with a family who's member I had just assaulted. Tohru stridded up the steps to the door and allowed me to step in first.

A man peered up from a stack of papers as he filed through them, "Ah, Tohru it's you. Good day at school?

"Yes, and I brought a friend home with me. I hope you don't mind." Tohru bowed, which the writing man failed to notice. His eyes were skimming over my figure, making me feeling quite awkward under his gaze. "Sora, this is Shigure Sohma. Sigure-san, this is Sora Tsuda-san."

The man was at my side before I knew it, "Nice to meet you Sora! I hope you make yourself at home," the Shigure fellow nodded towards me, mumbling something under his breath as he retreated back to his spot by the heated table. I polietly gave my belated bow and fixed my skirt uncomfortably. He still didn't notice.

"Have Hana-chan and Ou-chan arrived yet?" Tohru asked sitting at the heated table. I found myself folding my legs quietly next to her, making sure nothing was falling out of my skirt that could be slightly-embarrassing.

"No, but they should be here any minute now!" Shigure glanced at the watch wrapped around his slender wrist; with this small notion, his yukata slid a bit, exposing a well-built chest. Heat rushed to my cheeks and I averted my gaze awkwardly. Out of all things, he noticed this and smirked in my direction.

"Uh, Shigue-san!" Tohru broke the strangled silence, "That clock has been the same for several days now. I think it's time to change the batteries." Tohru grinned as Shigure grinded his teeth; he had become embarrassed at this statement.

"Oh... well, would you be kind to run and replace the battery for me, Tohru-chan?" He was trying to get us alone, and I knew it. Hopefully Tohru would object-

"I'm on it!" Damn. They have her whipped. And to my luck, once she left the room another boy walked in; however, it wasn't just _any boy_: it was _The Prince_. Yuki Sohma.

"Miss Tsuda, a pleasant surprise." A warm smile spread across his lips, "What brings you here?"

"Oh..." I felt at loss for words, "Tohru-chan invited me, Sohma-kun." I tipped my head as an attempt to hide my blushing face. I could feel my ears turn the shade of a tomato; I didn't want to know what color my face itself was. Like a miracle, the front door burst open and Kyou stridded in sending a death glare at me and Yuki.

"Damn rat... damn girl," Kyou cursed as if we couldn't hear. He rudely pushed by Tohru to escape the stares and the harsh glare Yuki gave him.

"I see Kyou is back home." Shigure chuckled to himself then turned to me, "He can't even come into the house without destroying something. I'm sorry, he's always-"

"No need for an explanation, Shigure-san," I interrupted. It didn't feel right talking about the poor teenager when he wasn't around to hear it, "He's like that all the time in class."

Shigure laughed and Yuki took a seat to my left, making my breath catch in my throat, "So Sora-chan, you must be here for Tohru's sleepover, am I correct?" I nodded my head slowly as Tohry placed a cup of green tea infront of us, handing a battery to Shigure. "Well, I hope you have a great time," Yuki flashed a smile that could melt the coldest of hearts.

Just like him to do so. He had a face for almost each occasion and category of conversation. You should have seen his face when he found out about my mother; Kimi the moron had pressured me into spilling my life-story after she found out that my mother was the "_dead model_" Hikari.

"Yes," Shigure took a sop of his tea, "They will have an excellent time with me!"

Yuki was quick to smack him over the head, "Do not be a pervert. I'm terribly sorry for my cousin's behavior."

Did he say cousin? I nearly choked on my tea, rubbing my throat as the hot liquid made it's way down the tube. I could feel my tastebuds burning off, and I rubbed my tongue against the roof of my mouth. They had to be lying to my face. Cousins?

"Heh, no problem." I cleared my throat and blew on my tea this time, taking a labored sip. A nervous sweat began to form and roll down the back of my neck, "No problem at all."

Tohru set down the last cup for her when there came a knock at the door... well, where the door used to be. Now there was just an empty door frame, letting in the cool October breeze; all thanks to Kyo's reckless behavior.

"Oh!" She grinned at the faces of Hanajima and Arisa who waved patiently at the door, "That must be Hana-chan and Ou-chan!" No really? I couldn't help but choke again on the hot beverage in my hand. Yuki glanced over; he must of thought I was crazy. Great impression.

"There, my watch is fixed now!" Shigure sighed and messed around with the dial at the side, "What time is it, Yuki?"

"9:15."

"Ah, thank you."

Nine-fifteen. Had that much time really pasted since I got here? My head became clouded with thoughts and confusion; Obaa-san was at home all alone with no word to where I was. I had only called from school to tell her I was taking a stop by the class room and the library on the way home.

The poor woman was sick with cancer, and was being taken care of at our small apartment by me. A silent tear threatened to drop into the glass of tea, and my throat contracted a strangled groan.

"Miss Tsuda, are you alright?" Yuki set down her cup, and peered around trying to get me to look into his foggy grey eyes, "You're crying..." His hand came out to wipe the tear away, but I jerked back, catching the wet trail with the end of my uniform sleeve.

"Do you have a phone I could use?" I asked, attempting to sound normal, but failing without a doubt. Sora Tsuda: master at discovering hidden emotions, ameture of concealing them herself.

"Yes," Yuki stood up, offering me a pale hand. I had never noticed how ghostly his skin tone was... "I'll show you."

Carefully, I puled myself up without his help and crossed my arms. I felt suddenly ill as Yuki rested a hand on my shoulder, his other hand offering me the cordless phone; he left, leaving me in silence. I dialed the desired number and the phone rang over and over again, like no one was ever going to answer.

"Moshi, moshi? Tsuda residence."

Obaa-san.

"Obaa-chan, it's me Sora." I began to tear up from her sickened voice over the line. Even though she tried to hide the tired croak that came along with her naturally jolly voice, it was easy to pick out.

"Oh, where are you dear?" She asked softly, obviously hearing my tears. I worried her.

"I'm at Tohry Honda's house for a sleepover. I wanted to see if you were okay," I bit my lip holding back a muffled cry. From around the corner, I thought I heard a depressed sigh...

"I'm just fine, dear. You have a fun time, okay?"

Her voice was quiet and full of honesty, and her laugh made me smile. I couldn't hold it in anymore, "Obaa-san are you sure you're okay? I don't want to leave you alone if you're not alright."

"Sora-chan, please don't cry. I'm just fine over here; Marui-san was over only a matter of minutes ago. She made more of that amazing dango of hers, and decided it'd be nice to share some with me. You know how I love homemade dango!" She paused to let out a tied laugh, "Now, I'm going to leave you so you can have some fun, alright?"

"Hai." I wiped at the dry trailed of tears that stained my cheeked, examining my profile in the mirror that hung infront of me. My eyes were still red, and now my cheeks matched from rubbing them so much, "I love you, Obaa-chan.:

"And I love you too, Sora-chan. Have fun for me, dear."

"Hai."

"See you tomorrow, dear." She hung up and I placed the phone back onto the reciever, attempting to quickly fix myself up before entering the living room. I didn't want to go back in, since I had made a fool of myself at the heated table. The Sohma family must believe I'm a crazed, hormonal teenager.

Tohru must have realized this; Hanajima and Ou-chan entered the doorway behind her, both sending me sympathetic glances. Ou spoke first, openly voicing what I didn't want to hear, "Oh poor thing." She sighed as Tohru ran over to hug me.

"What's wrong, Sora-chan?" Tohru asked while rubbing my back. The question was beginning to grow on me, and not in a good way.

"Nothing," I pulled myself away and swiftly walked towards the door, "Please forget about all of this, and lets have some fun, okay guys?" Tohru smiled along with Arisa, but of course, I felt the heavy gaze of Hana drilling into my skull. She could see right through the facade I set around myself.

Ignoring this, I allowed myself to be dragged upstairs by the girls. We talked happily, as they did my nails and everything. Tohru took this opportunity to look up at me and smile, "You know, Sora-chan, we were all thinking..."

Arisa giggled and held my own hand to my face, "Purple is your color."

"You remind me of someone familiar..." Hanajima muttered under her breath, seeming deep in thought. The way her black hair fell in her face made her look like a lost porcelean doll.

"We think you should be a model!"

I burst out laughing. Most of it was from relief.

"Yeah, I used to get that a lot."

**--**

The whole house was fast asleep, and I found myself laying squished between snoring high school girls. A cool breeze drifted from the cracked window, and I rested up on my elbows debating whether or not to sneak outside. I didn't want to disturb anyone.

Carefully, I snuck over the side of the bed and exited the house from Tohru's window. The moon shone gently from above, illuminating the roof before me; I quickly covered up my exposed undergarmets as I noticed the resting boy staring at me with curious crimson eyes. My loneliness getting to the best of me, I made my way over to the glaring boy, laying next to his sprawled form.

"What do you want, Sora?" Kyou barked at me as I rested my hands behind my head.

"Nothing... I came up here to think." I paused, letting out a tired sigh, "I couldn't sleep. Besides, it's such a nice night; look at the stars... How about you, Kyou?"

"Hn," he grunted, "About the samething."

"What were you thinking about?"

He shrugged his shoulders: a man of many words. "The usual. Not that any of it concerns you." Nice, he could speak; except when he did, it was nothing flattering of his character or complementing to the person he was talking to.

"You are almost too fun to watch, Kyou. It's like looking into a mirror." I flashed him a dry smirk, "Everytime someone confronts you, it's like I'm watching a male version of me shrink up into a ball and retreat from the world..."

"What would a girl like you know about me, anyways?!" Kyou scoffed and I rolled my eyes.

"I know a few things."

"Like what?"

"You know Kyou, we have a lot more in common than you'd think. I may be quiet at school, but I spend a majority of my time observing those around me." I casually flicked the bruise from earlier on his cheek, and smiled as I watched a star shoot by in the dark sky, "But hey. It's not like anyone cares about people like us, huh? At least we tend to think that way."

"Psh. How do you know?"

"It's my life. I'm just making simple connections, and attempting to make conversation." There was a pause, but it wasn't awkward. Kyou eventually broke it, a confused expression over his face. All aprehension had left for the moment.

"Why are you out here, again?" Kyo asked gazing out at the same flickering stars overhead.

"I don't know. I couldn't sleep I guess."

"Yeah right. I think it's about that little scene you caused in the hallway. Crying over something won't help anything."

"If only you knew." I chuckled, wrapping my arms around my legs.

"Sora..." Out of the corner of my eye, I could have swore that a tinge of red spread it's way across Kyou's cheeks, "If you ever need to talk... or anything, you can always talk to me? I'll try my best to help." He seemed unsure of himself once the night air grew silent.

"Thank you, Kyou." I sat up on my elbows preparing to return to the warm sheets of the bed in Tohru's room. I could hear the girl's sturring through the open window. But I paused at the edge of the roof, taking a moment to look back at Kyou who stared peacefully at the night sky, "Oh, and Kyo..."

"Yeah?"

"I made a wish for us on that star."

"What did you wish for?"

"If I told you, it wouldn't come true."

Kyo looked like he was about to yell, but held himself back; he must have realized that it'd be no good. I had already disappeared over the edge and made my way through Tohru's window, snuggling back into the awaiting bed.

--

**The first official chapter of Sora Tsuda's life. Review?**

**-Amanda**


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